Electrolytic apparatus.



J. COULSON.

ELECTROLYHC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLEH JAN. 6. 1911.

1,250,286. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L WITNESSES: INVENTOR J. COULSON.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

AEPLICATION FILED IAN. 6. 1911.

1,250,286. Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ooULsoN, or WILKINSIBURG, PENN'sYLvANIajmIGNon 'ro WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A'CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

Application filed January 8, 1917. Serial No. 140,926.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN (JOULsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrolytic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention rel tee to electrolytic apparatus such as condensers, lightning arresters and the like, and it has for its object to provide means for forming each set of plates composing such apparatus from a single set of film.- forming material, the sheets of opposite polarity being carried by movable supports in a series of adjacent and parallel folds and the supports being provided with adjusting means .for applying tension to the sheets composingthe active plates.

Electrolytic condensers, lightning arresters and similar electrolytic cells are commonly made up of a series of parallel plates ofaluminum, magnesium or 0t er film-forming metal disposed in a suitable electrolyte and connected in two sets of alternate plates of opposite-polarity. It has heretofore been a matter of considerable difficulty to properly support the plates in spaced relation without impairing the electrical characteristics of the plates, and it is my object to simplify the structure of such apparatus by dispensing with the use of separate plates and forming each ,set of active members of the same polarity from a single sheet of aluminum or its equivalent wound uponsuit able supporting grids.

, For a better understanding of the princi" ples of my invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawin in which Figure 1 is a side View, partia ly in elevation and partially in vertical section, of an electrolytic' condenser constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a lan view, with parts removed for the sake o clearness, of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

The apparatus shown in the drawin comprises a casing 1, which may various y consist of wood, enamel-lined metal, aluminum, or any suitable material lined with aluminum. The active portions of the condenser are suspended from a cover 2 by means of rods 3 which extend through slots Y 4 in the cover 2 and are attached, at their upper ends, to cleats 5 which rest upon the.

cover and extend lengthwise thereof. The

rods 3 are arranged in pairs and support, at

their lower ends, two inner vertical grids 6 and two outer vertical grids 7 the inner grids 6 consisting of horizontal members 8 connected by vertical rods 9, while the outer grids 7 are made up of horizontal members 10 connected by outwardly extending triangular members 11 arranged inv pairs, as

- shown in Fig. 2. A vertical rod 14 is carried by each of the outer grids 7, the rods 14 being disposed diagonally opposite each other, as shown in Fig.2. l

Two sheets of aluminum or other filmforming material 12 and 13 are wound upon the vertical grid members 9 and 11 in 'adjacent and parallel folds, the members 11 of the outer grids 7 bein' spaced apart a distance wider than the diameters of the rods 9, so that the folds of the sheets 12 and 13 are maintained out ofcontact. It will be observed that the sheet 12 extends around all of the grid members 11 on the outer grid at the right of Fig. 2 and around all of the rods 9 composing the inner grid at the left of Fig. 2, and'that the sheet 13 similarly extends around all of the grid members 11 composing the outer rid at the left of Fig. 2, and around the ro s 9 composin the inner grid at the right of Fig. 2. lectrical connections to the sheets 12 and 13 are provided by means of binding posts 15 secured i of opposite polarity. v Tension is applied to the sheets 12 and 13 by moving the supporting rids associatedwith each sheet in opposite irections. One

means of producing such tensioning movement of the grids consists, as shown in the drawings, of a series of horizontal spacing members 16, each of which is provided, at one end, with screw threads for attachment to a pointed and internally th readedmeiilber 17 of angular cross section, The pointedice end of each of the membersl? is received in a suitable depression in one of the horizon. tal members 8 composin the'inner grid 6, while the op osite end 0 the corresponding.

spacing mem er 16 is receivedin an opening in one of the horizontal members 10 composing one of the outer grids 7. A suitable number of the-spacing devices 16-17is provided to ap ly pressure symmetrically to the several gri s, and, by rotating the members 17 with respect to the member 16, the grids are moved outwardly, thereby applying any desired degree of tension to the sheets 12 and 13. The tension applied to the sheets may be assisted by means of suitable springs associated'with the supporting rods 3, one arrangement of such springs being shown in Fig. 1 and comprising compression springs 18 disposed in the slots 4 and maintained in place by means of screws 19.

A cooling coil 20 may be suspended from the cover 2, according to the usual practice in this class of apparatus. In assembling a condenser constructed in the manner herein shown, the grids 6 and 7 are first suspended from the cover 2 by means of the supports 3 and the cleats 5. Each of the sheets 12 and 13 is then attached, at one end, to one of the adjacent pairs of rods 9 and 14 and the sheets are then wound successively around the rods 9 and the grid members 11 and fastened to the rods 9 and 14 diagonally opposite to the starting point. The spacing members 16 are then placed in position and the members turned up sufliciently to apply the necessary tension to the sheets. I prefer that the grids 6 and 7 be entirely composed of aluminumor other film-forming material, or at least that the exposed surfaces of the grids be composed of such metal. No material other than film-forming material will then be exposed to the action of the electrolyte, which is a highly desirable condition in apparatus of this kind. The

present construction also makes it possible to vary the tension upon the active parts in accordance with the temperature of the electrolyte and the nature of the films which form upon the plates in order to maintain the film in its best operating condition. The structure which I have herein shown and described may be modified in many particulars without departing from the principles of my invention, which are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality of sheets of film-forming material, and means for supporting the said sheets in a plurality of adjacent and parallel folds.

2. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality of substantially vertical sheets of filmformin material, and means for supporting the sai sheets in a plurality of adjacent and parallel folds.

3. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality of adjacent and substantially parallel sheets of film-forming material, both sheets being bent into a plurality of parallel folds.

4. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality of relatively movable supports, a plurality of sheets of film-forming metal carried by the said supports in a plurality of rality of adjacent ahd adjacent and parallel folds, and means for moving the saidsupports to apply tension to the said sheets. v

5. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality ofv relatively movable and arallel grids, a plurality of sheets offilm-forming metal wound upon the, said grids infa plumeans for moving the said grids in opposite parallel folds, and

directions and for thereby applying tension to the said sheets.

6. An electrolytic cell comprising a plurality of relatively movable and parallel vertical grids, a plurality of sheets of filmforming metalwound upon the said grids in a plurality of adjacent and parallel folds, and means for moving the said grids in op-' posite directions and for thereby applying tension to the said sheets.

7. An electrolytic cell comprising: a plurality of relatively movable and vertical grids, a plurality of sheets of film-forming metal Wound in a plurality of parallel folds .of sheets of film-forming material woun upon the said grids in a plurality of adjacent and parallel folds, and screw-operated means for moving the said grids in oppositedirections and for thereby applying tension to the said sheets.

9. An electrolytic cell comprising a container, a cover therefor, a plurality of grids suspended from the said cover and having vertical and parallel transverse members, a plurality of sheets of film-forming material wound 'upon the said vertical members in a plurality of adjacent and parallel folds, and means for moving the said grids in opposite directions and for thereby applying tension to the said sheetsf 10. An electrolytic cell comprising a container, a cover therefor, four grids sus pended from the said cover and disposed opposite and parallel to one another, the two inner grids comprising a plurality of vertical rodsand the two outer gridscomprising vertical members s aced apart by distances greater than the iameters of the said rods, and a plurality of'sheets of filmforming material wound upon the said rods and vertical members in a plurality of adj a- JOHN. 9.931 3,- 

